Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-01-22

that the enemy's cavalry had been demon.
strating up to and through Newtown, SO that
| our pickets could easily exchange shots
| with them; but that they had now appar-
emily all withdrawn into the woods south
| of the village. There was a high hill at
| the right of the pike, just beyond where
the picket firing had been, and there our
| Generals established themselves for the
day. 1t was slightly place, from which
they could look down upon Newtown, the
| woods beyond, the fields, crossed with stone
| and rail fences, and the broad white pike
running up toward Strasburg, as upon an
| outspread map.
One of our cavalry regiments came rat
| Ting down the road, and passed through
and out of the village. This looked like a
| fight, and Captain Tremaine and myself
were sent out to watch it and report the
result.
Instead Of riding directly through the
long street of the village, we took a course
parallel to 1t, and to its right. There were
cornfelds here. stone walls, and, further
out, our infantry pickets, which had been
advanced since the alarm was given. Some
where near the south end Of the village we
halted and waited developments. Our cav
airy regiment had thrown out a few skir-
mishers, who we're trying the opposite
woods with their carbines. We had halted
near a single picket, who told us that he
belonged to the Vermont brigade of the
Sixth Corps, and who declared that he had
plainly seen a man on brown horse come
to the edge of the woods several times.
sand there he is now" he exclaimed;
and he fired with the words.
Il hope hit him" he added.
The distance was an easy one for the
naked eye; but it is one thing to discover o
l -. 4
middle of a field and quite another to de-
tect him when standing just inside the
shadows of wood Captain Tremaine had
been uring his glass since We rode up, and
he now exclaimed:
by Jovt, this Vermonter is right! Just
look closely at those woods"
My glass showed it to be full of horse
men-so many at the edge of it as to sug-
gest instantly that there was great number
further in. l was about to ask Tremaine
il one of us had not better ride over and
see if the commander of our cavalry regi-
ment had discovered them, when with a
yell strong column of horse burst from
the wood, company front, and charged our
cavalry regiment. They were partly hidden
by the buildings as they obliqued to the
right, but We had fair view of the exciting
scene. There was great cracking of car
yelling, and consid rable skurrying to the
rear by individual cavalrymen on our side.
In fact, it quickly became evident that our
friends were outnumbered, and were fall
ing back through the village. At the same
time, in answer to the shots which our pick.
cts sent in fast, and which must have told
on SO fair mark as those moving squad
rons were, bullets began to fly from the
woods in our direction. We heard them
strike the houses behind us, and their Zip
zip" past our ears was highly suggestive
of danger.
Tremaine and I, in a few words, agreed
that we could do no good out in this ex-
posed place, and that our duty was to 90
back and report. For greater safety, We
took our way through corntield, and were
in the midst Of it when we met a horse1nan
in blue overcoat and cap, with no visible
mark of rank. A single orderly followed
him. The foremost of the two had ruddy
face, close cut hair, beard and mustache,
and hawk-like eye. Even on horseback
it could be seen that he was short. He rode
black horse, which was familiar to every
man in that army. A person not knowing
him might easily have taken the rider for
some aide, like ourselves, sent out here to
observe; but Tremaine and l had seen both
man and horse in more than one battle, and
knew them well-by sight.
Good morning, gentlemen" he sang
out, in CHEEKY voice, as We saluted him.
81 thought I'd ride out myself and see
what those fellows over there mean to do. I"
He was out of the cornfeld with his Or
derby about the time we were, and we saw
him ride back to the hill. He remained
there till dark.
He was General Sheridan.
When Tremaine and reached the pike
at the north end of the village, we found
that our cavalry regiment had been driven
through it, and had brought off q number
of wounded. A strong infantry reserve
picket was giving them good help; among
them l recognized some whom l knew be-
longed to that brave regiment, the One
Hundred and Sixtieth New York. A brig
ade of our cavalry was coming rapidly up
the pike, and thought at first that l was
about to see first class horse melee. But
it speedily turned out otherwise. The at
tack of the enemy had been rather recon-
noissance; they fell back on seeing what
was approaching, and the woods swallowed
tn I'M up again.
Upon Captain Tremaine and myself re-
turning to the hilltop TO report-and We
could not te General Emory anything he
did not already know, as he could plainly
see the whole skirmish from where he
stood-we found distinguished company
of Generals and their stats. There was
meridian. with his private's blue overcoat;
Emory, commanding the Nineteenth Corps;
Dwight, its first division; Torbert, the tall,
handsome chief of cavalry; and l.. A.
Grant, whose brigade of the Sixth Corps
was under arms near by. AS the day pro-
crossed, raw, chilly wind arose, which
made this position peculiarly uncomfort-
able. But it was too good q lookout to
abandon, SO the orderlies brought great
armfuls of rails from the adjacent fences,
and a huge fire was soon burn
ing. General Sheridan warmed his
fore him; and, as the afternoon wore lazily
on without any more fighting, we under
strappers were permitted to hear the ex-.
change of numerous army "reminiscences
and jokes between these eminent COM
manders, which occasionally called out
Sheridan In hearty "ha- ha" The cavalry
brigade was sent for over to the right to
beat up the woods, and brigade OF
Dwights infantry was moved up near the
place where the enemy had first made their
appearance in the morning. One incident
that recall is that of General Emorys
discovery with his glass Of Confederate
sharpshooter in tree near enough to have
reached our group with q good rifle, and
his dispatching an aide to the nearest picket
to dislodge him.
Near night Sheridan ordered Dwight to
send brigade of infantry up at the east OF
the village, to see if any enemy could be
discovered. The order was given, and the
brigade was in motion, when General